daddy issues
by Lilli89
Summary: Connor Rhodes settles down to family life...(one- shots)
1. Chapter 1

**Note: The story is just fictional and plays in the future. Connor has a 7 year old daughter with Zanetti.**

 **It includes one-shots about Katies development and how Connor takes responsibility as a role model.**

 **The story starts when Katie is about 7 and ends when she becomes 18.**

CMDCMDCMD

"April, where is my Daddy?"

"Hey, sweetie", Sexton greeted the 7 year old girl, walked towards her and pulled her in a hug.

"Come here. I will show you", she grabbed Katies hand, stopping right in front of the office.

"There you go", she pointed at the doctors, that were busy talking, but stopped, when they recognized a little visitor, entering the room.

"Hi, Daddy", Katie started running to Connor, who spread his arms and caught her, to take her on his shoulder and finally put a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, sweetheart. How was your day?"

Will Halstead smiled like his colleague.

"We learnt the letter F in school and now I can tell you every object, that has the letter in it. Folder, feather, father."

"Amazing", Connor cheered her up and Will agreed.

Katie pulled her hand through his dark hair.

"Who made these cool braids?", Halstead pointed at her hair, receiving a bright smile of the little student.

"My Mommy", Katie explained, looking outside the window.

„Can we go home now, Daddy?"

"Alright."

Connor put her back to the ground.

"I'm gonna talk to Mom. But first I have to help to archieve some documents."

Katie grabbed Connors stethoscope.

"Can you listen to a heart with this?"

Connor took the documents aside, kneeled down instead.

He put the listeners in her ears, held it to his chest.

"Can you hear my heart beat?"

She got quiet, nodded smiled when she was able to locate the sound.

"Yeah. You know what? Shelly fell down the stairs today and broke her leg?"

"One of your class mates?", Halstead wanted to know, when Connor started laughing.

"Shelly is her doll."

"Daddy? Can you fix her leg? It's not looking so good", Katie reached for her backpack, putting the blonde baby outside. Indeed her leg was seperated from the rest oft he body.

Will tried hard to hide the laughter on his face.

"You know what? I'm sure uncle Will is getting you some bandages and bandaids and then we will be right on it."

Will looked a little bit overwhelmed. During his search for material, Connor changed his cape and red dress to replace it with a black T-shirt and hoodie.

Coming back, Will already tried to put the bandage on her side.

"Come on, Dr. Halstead. I think we need some special suture", he opened one of the drawers, grabbing some glue stick, before treating the patient in a special way.

In the middle of the procedure the door went open and Samantha walked into the room.

"Mommy", Katie smirked, when Zavetti faced the doll in surprise.

"Are you guys okay?"

"Daddy and uncle Will are healing Shelly."

"I'm totally impressed, baby", Samantha giggled.

Both men looked at Zanetti ashamed.

"Well, I hope she's better now", Connor mentioned, giving the doll to his daughter.

"You have to keep her warm. She needs some good care."

"Does she has to stay here?"

"No, I think we can take her home. Are you ready?", Connor took Katies hand.

"Yeah", she squeled squeezing back.

Samantha sighed, searching fort he keys in her pocket. Since her and Connor worked at the hospital alternately, it was Connors part to watch their daughter today.

"Alright. Bed time is around 9. No TV and her nintendo remains in the drawer."

"Oh, Mommy. Come on, it's Saturday tomorrow."

"No, Katie. Daddy will read you a good night story. You had some very bad dreams in the last times. So, it's not good for you, being up all night gambling."

Sam shared a kiss with Connor, before she placed one on their daughters cheek.

"See you tomorrow, sweetie."

"Can we go now? You're ready?"

Connor shook her arm, just for fun while holding her hand.

"Of course. But only if you take a closer look to Mr. Teddy. I think his eye has to be removed today."

CMDCMD

"Alright, Katie. Time for bed. What kind of story did you pick?"

Connors entered the childrens room, searching for his daughter.

"Katie? Come on. Where are you? Ka…"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence. His daughter was sitting next to her locker behind the door.

She was crying, pressing her stuffed animal to her chest.

Connor kneeled down, looking at the little girl in concern.

"Hey, what happened?"

She shrugged her shoulders, trembling.

" After I played with my barbies…I…went to your room and wanted to put Cinderella in the recorder and there was another film on screen. A little boy died and they burned his body and after that, they put the ashes in a box. He was seperated from his family before and…"

Connor sighed, reaching for her hand.

"Come here, baby. Come here", he pulled her in his arms and rocked her for a while. Her tears wet his shirt.

"I don't want to die. I don't want to be taken away from you", she mumbled in his chest, so Connor tightened his grip.

He stroked her hair until she got more calm.

Holding her in his arms, he sat on her bed.

"Look, Katie. No ones is gonna take you away from us. You're save here with mom and me. And yes. I won't blame you. People are dying and people are born. But until this happens to you, it's gonna be a long, long time. Okay?"

She nodded her head, tiredly hiding her face on his shirt.

"Is it true that people are getting burned after their death?"

Connor hesitated. He didn't really know what to say. It wasn't his aim to scare her. But the reality seemed brutal. How do you explain life and death to a 7 year old, especially when you are a doctor yourself?

Finally he decided to tell her the truth.

"Yeah, sometimes people are burned to keep the ashes or to distribute it at the sea. But it doesn't hurt anymore, because they don't feel anything at all."

"Please stay with me", Katie grabbed the piece of his shirt, nervously hanging on it, begging him not to leave the room.

"Sure thing."

Rhodes tugged her in, after she crawled on the mattress.

He took a book from her nightstand, before he lay down next to her and took her in his arms.

He opened the first page and started reading, until she fell asleep…


	2. Chapter 2

"Listen, Sam. We have to operate. If her appendix ruptures, there is a huge risk it will turn into a peridontitis. And I don't have to tell you, what happens next", Connor explained to his fiancee. Having their own child in the ICU complaining about pain in her stomach, pushed both parents to a new level.

"Are you out of your mind? We don't even know if we talk about an appendicitis here. There are hundred of other options, causing the pain in her stomach. Just to remind you. We talk about our 7 year old daughter with normal blood resultst, that you are ready to operate on an appendicitis she probably doesn't have."

Rhodes shook his head, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You know how tricky an appendicitis can be. You don't need high markers to be sure if there is an infection. You can have it, also can be infected without a high level of leukocytes."

Zanetti nervously took a deep breath.

"Connor, we have to make a deiscion by now. What about a bladder infection or gastitis causing the trouble? „

"No."

"How do you know that?"

"She always points to her right side, when I ask about pain."

"Yeah, but there was no sign when I hit the MC Burney point. Look, we can't start an operation, just to exclute an appendicitis."

"It's not what I planed. I think about laparascopy. We're able to see the whole part of her abdomen and it's less risk taking than the classic way."

Samantha sighed deeply. From the look on her face, you can tell she was ready to cry.

Her lips started trembling.

"Hey, look at me."

He touched her hands.

"She's gonna be fine."

Zanetti shook her head.

"I'm just scared", she sobbed, when Connor pulled her into a hug.

"I know. Me too."

Samantha get back to her seat, stroked one of her strands of her out of her face.

"Are you ready for this?"

Connor nodded.

"Sorry, but I'm not sure if I would be a great support on this operation", she said, her hainds trembling full of fear.

"It's okay. I'm gonna ask Halstead to join me."

Zanetti desperately kissed him, folding her hands.

"Safe Katie. You've got to promise me."

CMDCMDCMD

"You were right. Her appendix looks like hell. There is a chronical infection in different areas. See?", Halstead told Rhodes, who turned around when Zavetti entered the operating room without gloves.

Eventually she already heard the news, because she looked at Connor apologetic.

"That would explain her chronical nausea."

"I'm sorry", Zanetti whispered quietly, Rhodes shaking his head.

"Don't apologize", Connor answered.

"Why didn't we notice earlier?"

„Dr. Rhodes, please concentrate on your patient", Will interrupted both parents, to stop them from drifting away.

"Maggie? I need you to prepare the suture. We're ready to remove."

Zanetti watched how they put the equipment on her daughters abdomen, to get the infected part out of her belly.

"You're okay?", Connor wanted to know, when Sam touched her mouth, like she started to feel sick, before she abruptly left the room.

Rhodes turned around in concern, before he concentrated on his work again.

"Reese? Can you tell Dr. Charels to take a look at Dr. Zavetti?"

"Sure", Sara left the operation room.

"See, that's what I meant by operating close family members can be tricky", Halstead told his colleague, who shrugged his shoulders.

"By the way, you're sweating more than usual too, don't you?"

Connor gave him an angry look, while he helped putting the removed part in a bag.

"If you're a father, we'll talk again", Rhodes answered, finishing the stitches, before putting the equipment out of Katies belly button, tightening the suture on her belly area.

"Good work, everybody", Halstead praised the team. Meanwhile Maggie already cleaned the part of her stomach, removing the blood from her skin. Connor put his cloves away, carefully washing his hands.

"Thank you."

"For nothing", Will twinkled, walking to the door.

"Let me know when she wakes up, okay?"

"Sure", Connor agreed, grabbing a caster stool to sit down next to his daughter.

"Alright, she needs 200 Miligram of Panadol", he ordered, grabbing Katies hand, squeezing it and remaining silently on her side for a couple of minutes, until he got up.

"Maggie? She's ready to be transfered to her room."

CMDCMD

Just a few minutes later, Connor got so see something rare.

Samantha was sitting in one oft he break rooms. The curtains were closed and her sniffles disturbed the silence.

He entered the room quietly, carefully closed the door.

"Hey", Rhodes mourned softly.

Sam didn't look up, just continued crying.

He came closer, until he sat right in cross of her.

"She's gonna be fine. The operation went as well as expected."

Sam nodded her head.

"I'm stupid. I could have killed her."

Connor took her hand, squeezed it.

"Hey, don't do that to yourself. It's one oft he trickiest ilnesses. I never had a case like that. A chronical appendicitis is rare, especially in children."

She sniffled, whiped her tears away.

"Sam, you just wanted to protect her from unnecessary pain. I could have been wrong too."

"But you weren't."

"Let's stop thinking about that right now. Just be happy, that we found the reason in time."

At this moment, Zanettis alarm went on. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Damn it. I wanted to be there, when she wakes up."

Connor caressed her back,

"Go. I will get Fromson to cover my shift and stay with her as long as you need."

CMDCMD

"Mommy?", the 7 year old wihimpered, looking around a confused expression on her face.

"No, Katie. It's Daddy", Connor explained to his daughter, sitting next to her bedside, holding her hand.

Her crying eyes focused on her father. She started to relax, when she recognized his familiar face.

"Don't go away", she mumbled , thats when Rhodes stroked her face.

"I will stay as long as you need me. Mommy is on her way, too. Okay`"

He pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"How's your belly? You're feeling better now?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's great news."

Katie streched her other hand, tiredly touching Connors face, like she wanted to convince herself that he was still there.

"You're skin is prickly", she whispered touching the part of his one-day stubble.

Connor smiled in relief.

"I know, munchkin."

His eyes met with the bag, April just brought in.

"Let me get you something", he got up, returning with something familiar.

"Look, what aunt April brought you in."

"That's Corey", she smiled weakly, pressing her stuffed girafe to her chest.

"Thank you."

Connor sat back next to her.

"What about restling a little bit? I'm sure Corey is really sleepy like you, mh?"

"You stay here?"

"Deal, big girl."

Connor continued by stroking her forehead, until she fell back to sleep…


	3. Chapter 3

"Whooo, since when are we jumping on the couch, young lady! It's not a trampoline", Connor took his daughter from the sofa, who smiled at him.

"Hello, Dad. How was your day?"

Connor groaned, putting Katie on the ground. He just returned from his night shift. After 13 hours of work, he just wanted to climb into bed. But there was someone who made him stop.

Sam already went to work, so he had to watch her alone.

"Katie, I don't want you to jump on there. It's furniture. If you want to put your energy out, we are going to walk to the playground, okay?"

"Will we eat together? Mum said you're going to make tomato soup with me?"

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen."

He alrady took his daughters hand, when he recognized something on the wall. The expression on his face froze.

"Katie? What is that?", he pointed at the picture on the orange wall. She shrugged , because of his loud voice.

It seemed like she used her felt pens to draw.

"I thought you would like it."

"Are you insane? Again: This is a living room, not a playground, so we're treading everything with respect!", Connor yelled, let go of her hand.

"How often do I have to tell you? This is not okay!"

Katies eyes filled with tears.

"I want you to go to your room. Right now!"

"But Daddy I…!"

"Now!"

"I love you!", she tried to change his mood. It didn't help.

"But I don't love you if you're doing something like this. Go! I don't want to discus it right now."

She didn't move.

"Katie…?"

Finally he grabbed her. She started fighting, but he held her back, sat her on her bed and left the room.

Angrily she punched at the closed door. Then he heard sobbs coming from the neighborhood room.

The lack of sleep and the aching of his head took hard on him. Quietly Connor picked one of the pain killers while the crying of his daughter sounded like echoes in his ears.

Hearing her desperately sobbing, he couldn't help but started to feel horrible.

He always had sworn of never becoming the same asshole like his father and now it felt like all the bad influences of Cornelius hit him.

Connor took some sips of water, took a place on a chair.

This couldn't be the way of treading a problem. Within minutes he regretted his behaviour..

Did he really told his own daughter that he didn't love her?

Katie was still crying. Connor had been always surprised of the fact how long her intensive mood swings could last. Even as a baby she was able to cry for several hours straight.

He got up, slowly opened the door.

"Katie, I think we should talk."

"Go away!", she sobbed, hiding her head under her pillow.

Connor didn't follow her order.

He took a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Despite that I still think that drawing on our walls is not okay, I want to correct myself. What I said is not true. I always love you. Even earlier on, okay?"

She looked up, but keept a distance to her father.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"A little bit? Promise me you will never do it again."

"Pinky swear?"

Connor smiled, held his finger against hers.

" Pinky swear", he repeated and finally forced himself to smile.

"What about buying you some chalk later and I show you a place where you can color with my permission?"

"Deal", Katie sniffled, crawling out of her hiding spot.

"That's my girl", Connor ruffled through her hair.

"Ready to join me in the kitchen?"

She nodded her head, clapped her hands.

"Come on, piggyback", Connor suggested putting her on his back, like a horse, before he ran in the kitchen..


End file.
